- Latest News
  - Shows
  - MP3s
  - Video
  - Bio
  - Photos
  - Reviews
  - Discography
  - Guitars / Rig
   - Photoshop
  - Lessons
  - Links
  - Contact

Building your guitar rig...

Many guitarists, pro and amateur alike, debate back and forth on what's better, a guitar through a great amp, or a guitar through a rack system.  Some guitarists use hybrid systems, ones that include the amp of their choice along with a rack of effects.  It all comes down to personal preference.  For me, I need to have a multitude of sounds at my disposal at the click of a button or footswitch, so I'm a rack guy.  Sometimes, all you really need, though, is just one good sound from a great sounding amplifier.

Since I'm more of a rack guy, I'll talk mainly about rack systems here.

At one point, I was building the ultimate rack system. I wanted two power amps, one to power my speaker cabs, one to power my monitors. This was my setup:
 
Preamps:
Rocktron Chameleon
Rocktron Piranha 		Processors:
TC Elec. G-Force
BBE 362 		Power Amps:
Mesa/Boogie 2:90
Mesa/Boogie 50/50 		Misc Rack units:
AKG UHF wireless
KORG Rack tuner
Furman Power Strip

That was a self-standing 12 space, SKB shock-mount rack case. The big, refrigerator-size rack. It stood about 3-4 feet tall. Once all this stuff was loaded in, it looked great, and sounded fantastic. Only problem was when I went to transport it, as it weighed almost 200 lbs!!

I soon-thereafter thinned out the rig, and the rig I use now is simply a 6 space that I can lift with one hand...

  • RackRider power strip
  • Rocktron Chameleon preamp
  • TC Electronics G-Force processor
  • Mesa/Boogie 50/50 power amp

As for what I would recommend, here's my list of what I like:

Preamps:

  • Mesa/Boogie TriAxis
  • Mesa Rectifier Recording Preamp
  • Any of the Engl preamps, they're all fantastic from what I've heard
  • Rocktron Chameleon (the original or online, not the 2000)
  • Rocktron Voodoo Valve (basically the Chameleon with a 12ax7 tube in it)
  • Rocktron Piranha (to my ears, it sounds like a switchable dual rectifier, especially when used with a 2:90 power amp).

Processors:

  • Anything by Eventide (but that'll eat your budget quickly)
  • TC Electronics G-Force
  • TC Electronics G-Minor (about half as good as the G-Force, for about half the price... still kills 90% of everything else out there)
  • Lexicon MPX-G2 (allows you to put the unit before AND after the preamp for lots of neat effects)

Power Amps:

Pricey ones:

  • Mesa/Boogie 2 One-hundred
  • Mesa/Boogie 2:90 
  • Mesa/Boogie 2:50
  • Marshall 9200

Bargain ones that still sound excellent:

  • ADA Microtube 200
  • Mesa/Boogie 20/20
  • Rocktron Velocity 500
  • Rocktron Velocity 250

Bottom line: For building a rack system, get a good preamp that you love the sound of, find a nice power amp that you love the sound of THAT preamp through, play through them for awhile, then find yourself a top-notch processor to get every sound you want.

Make sure you have the essentials: a nice, warm, crisp clean sound, a chunky heavy sound, and a lead sound that really compliments your playing.

That's my philosophy.  Of course, many guitarists may disagree, but that's half the fun in building your own sound.